And your team feels it. A few days ago, the clocks moved forward. On paper, it’s just one hour. In reality? It’s less sleep. Shorter tempers. Slower reaction time. Reduced concentration. In fact, research shows the shift into Daylight Saving Time can create temporary, jet-lag-like effects — fatigue, irritability, and dips in focus. Most leaders don’t factor that in. But they should. Because when energy drops, small issues escalate faster. Miscommunication increases. Patience

Teamwork, friendly rivalry, and the hidden strengths that show up when the stakes are sweet. If you’ve ever watched a gingerbread house competition unfold, you know the stakes get very real, very fast. Suddenly, people who were quiet in meetings are engineering load-bearing gumdrop roofs… and the “non-creative” folks are designing architectural masterpieces out of pretzels and icing. But here’s what we love most about these moments: Friendly competition reveals hidden strengt

When the pressure rises, listening steadies the team. A colleague once told me, “September is when the noise gets loud—deadlines, goals,...